Starring: Ewan McGregor, Brenton Thwaites, Alicia Vikander, Matt Nable, Damon Herriman, Nash Edgerton, Jacek Koman, Tom Budge
Distributor: Entertainment One Films
Runtime: 108 mins. Reviewed in Oct 2014
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Son of a Gun is a swaggering kind of title, with the touch of the macho. It is a story of criminals in Western Australia, in prison, out of prison, and carrying off a huge robbery at the Kalgoorlie Gold mines.
The international star is Ewan McGregor, using his Scots accent, playing Brendan, a famous robber, who finds himself in jail, looking for an opportunity to escape, looking for a young patsy that he can rely on to make connections when he gets out of jail after a short-term sentence.
The young man is played by Brenton Thwaites, a young actor from Cairns and a stint in Home and Away. 2014 was a particularly good year for him, playing Prince Charming in Maleficent and the futuristic hero of The Giver. His role in Son of a Gun is a strong one and he keeps audience attention on himself, even when working with Ewan McGregor.
The film establishes the two characters in the first part of the film, with the young JR (Thwaites) entering into prison in the usual style, assigned to a cell where his cellmate is the sexual victim of some bruisers in the prison, JR trying to help him but warned by Brendan (McGregor) to be very careful. A bond is established between the two, with JR giving Brendan advice about chess moves and Brendan saving him from the bruisers. Prison life is a mixture of routine and moments of brutality.
The film opens up when JR is released, goes to make contact with the criminal recommended by Brendan, finds himself in somewhat luxurious surroundings, attracted by a young woman from eastern Europe who is controlled by the master criminal. He Is able to arrange an escape after an amusing, but serious, encounter with an arms dealer (Damon Harriman) and a lesson on guns and their power, using a helicopter – and this looks so easy, despite some shooting by prison guards, that audiences might think this is quite credible and possible. It is not only possible here but actual, so Brendan and his close associates are out and it is time to plan that gold robbery in Kalgoorlie.
There are romantic moments for JR and Tasha (Alicia Vikander from the Danish film, A Royal Scandal), some clashes with some young would-be tasks toughs and supportive tuition from Brendan.
The latter part of the film shows the robbery in detail, the escape, and, as we might have suspected, no honour among thieves.
By the end of the film, JR has certainly learnt a lot from Brendan and shrewd enough to get an upper hand.
The film makes Western Australia look attractive as well as desolate in the mines around Kalgoorlie. And, as heist and caper films go, with its Australian touches, this is quite an – even improbable – entertainment.
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